Government to merge or scrap 20 advisory bodies in savings drive

By political reporter Jane NormanUpdated
Fri Nov 08 18:16:42 EST 2013

The Federal Government is merging or scrapping more than 20 advisory bodies, ranging from the National Housing Supply Council to the Animals Welfare Advisory Committee, as part of a bid to save at least a billion dollars a year.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott says many of the boards have either outlived their original purpose or are not focused on the Government's priorities.

"As a result, their work is best carried out by the relevant government departments or agencies," he said.

Twelve bodies will be scrapped altogether, including the Commonwealth Firearms Advisory Council and the High-Speed Rail Advisory Group.

Bob Nanva, National Secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union says he is staggered by the decision.

"What this decision will do is relegate Australia to one of the few high-speed rail backwaters when really we should be getting on with job of building this network after decades of talking about it," he said.

"People, experts in rail, have voluntarily given up their time to move this project forward.

"It isn't costing the government a dime and it's insulting to experts sitting on this panel to receive this news."

Government not open to expert advice, says Opposition

The Advisory Panel on Positive Ageing's Everald Compton says his panel costs little to run and is carrying out important work.

"I'd have to get the exact figure from Treasury but we run a lean mean operation, we don't go anywhere we don't have to," he said.

Mr Compton says he can not understand why the panel is being abolished now, when it is just months away from finishing its work.

"We've only got six months' work to go, and we can give the government a blueprint on all the legislative, policy and financial changes that need to be progressively made over the next 20 years to ensure we turn ageing into an asset rather than a liability," he said.

The Opposition's finance spokesman Tony Burke says it is clear the Government is not open to expert advice.

"The whole idea of these advisory committees is to make sure that the best possible information finds its way into government decision making," he said.

"I don't believe for a minute that Tony Abbott is a firearms expert or an expert on a series of issues, for example, relating to the health of infants which are covered by these expert committees."

The Government has not revealed how much of the billion dollars it aims to save by scrapping the advisory groups.

But in a statement, Mr Abbott said the Government was determined to deliver on its election commitment to reduce the cost of unnecessary and inefficient regulation.